The scar tissue remains but the healing process presents an unexpectedly heartening prognosis. Routed by Legia Warsaw in the previous Champions League qualifying round but reprieved because the Poles briefly fielded an ineligible player in the second leg of their aggregate 6-1 victory, Celtic have the advantage going into next week’s return with Maribor after Wednesday night’s draw in Slovenia.

Callum McGregor’s early strike bedded Ronny Deila’s side into the tie, sufficiently so to ensure that the home side could not build on Damjan Bohar’s equaliser.

“The away goal is vital, 1-1 is a much better result than 0-0,” Deila said. “They will be more dangerous away than at home but we have the advantage of Celtic Park. I have a good feeling that we are going to reach it [group stages].”

Efe Ambrose, who Celtic had thought to be suspended but who was cleared to play by Uefa, had flown into Slovenia the previous evening after having been left at home, but did not feature in the starting line-up.

Nor was there room for Kris Commons, judged by Deila not to be suited to the pressing game which he wanted his side to play, in a formation which saw Stefan Johansen, Beram Kayal and Charlie Mulgrew anchoring midfield, supplemented in the wide positions by McGregor and Jo Inge Berget whose brief was to support Anthony Stokes in attack.

The People’s Garden stadium was not short of atmosphere, although one section was closed because of racist chants by the Ultras who usually occupy the area, but there was encouragement for Celtic from the catcalls from the home fans which greeted their opening spell of possession play and six minutes into the proceedings their new-found confidence was rewarded by a well- worked goal.

Its genesis was on the Celtic right, where Mikael Lustig worked himself into a deep position to feed Johansen, who flicked on to Berget on the far side. Berget’s drive was blocked by Jasmin Handanovic but the goalkeeper was not well screened by his defenders and McGregor pounced to rifle home from close range.

Celtic might have doubled their margin when another Lustig foray fed Stokes inside the box but the Dubliner could not get the ball out from his feet and Maribor swept upfield on the counter.

Celtic repelled the Slovenians’ first thrust but were undone by the next when Zelijko Filipovic trimmed a pass into the box for Marco Tavares to peel off Van Dijk’s shoulder.

The Dutch defender toppled his Brazilian opponent and might have been held culpable for denying a goalscoring opportunity had the Czech referee not played advantage to allow Bohar to shoot beyond Craig Gordon.

For all the encouragement of the first 45 minutes, the spectre of Celtic’s second-half collapse in Warsaw was evoked by Maribor’s bright show after the restart when, for 10 minutes, Deila’s players could scarcely get out of their own half.

As the contest moved into the final quarter-hour Stokes had begun to look sluggish and was replaced by Leigh Griffiths – on his 24th birthday – who immediately began harassing the Maribor back line. It was, however, the Maribor substitute, Ales Mertelj, who came close to glory with a swirling 35-yard shot which Gordon tipped wide, to maintain the draw which sees Celtic take an away goals lead into the return leg in the east end of Glasgow next Tuesday.